[Reviews - 197] Liked
Summary:

The group is back together and have coordinated with the other colonies to fight Negan. Carol joins in on the fight to protect Daryl, but won't admit it. They try to put their plan into action, and things go bad. Set to happen almost right after the Season 7 mid-season premiere.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author.  The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise.  No copyright infringement is intended.

 GIANT thank you to the_wd_caryl for my beautiful banner. You spoil me!


Rated: M
Categories: Season 7, Alternate Universe
Characters: Aaron, Carl Grimes, Carol Peletier, Daryl Dixon, Dr. Harlan Carson (Hilltop), Dwight, Enid, Eric Raleigh, Eugene Porter, Gregory, Henry, Jerry, Maggie Greene Rhee, Merle, Michonne Hawthorne, Morgan Jones, Negan, Paul "Jesus" Rovia, Rick Grimes, Rosita Espinosa, Sasha Williams, Sophia Peletier, Tara Chambler
Genres: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, Fighting, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Warnings: Adult Language, Character Death, Domestic Abuse (Implied), Sexual Situations, Torture, Violence
Series: None
Chapters: 27 Completed: No
Word count: 97015 Read: 23382
Published: December 27, 2016 Updated: October 09, 2017



Print or Download Story: Printer Microsoft Word ePub eBook
Story Notes:

This is another story again influenced by my musical playlist. It's a story I've had in my head for a while, but was also influenced by the  prompt by  holiday498

I wanted to focus on Carol again being more of a bad ass, though it doesn't mean she and Daryl don't have their moments. A warning that there is violence/torture/pain of characters I love...I don't like doing it to them, but it's how the story played out in my headSad

I highly suggest you listen to the song "Possibility" by Lykke Li to get the feel behind the story. Plus its a really great song.

1. Hometown Glory by Marie1063 [Reviews - 22] Liked (2424 words)

Daryl is still dealing with the aftermath of being held captive at the Kingdom, and Carol isn't ready to "go full commando" again. But she does come back into her own a littleSmile. Also Carol and Jesus have some interaction time finally.

Chapter titled after/based upon the song "Hometown Glory" by Adele.

2. Eye of the Storm by Marie1063 [Reviews - 4] Liked (1842 words)

This chapter contains Dwight and Saviors, not listed in character list. Also Carol meets Negan, in my world. I'll let it be known that I do not like the Negan character, for what he has done to some of my beloved characters. He is though very interesting to write for the language and obsured behavior (Yes he doesn't shut up Tongue Out).

Spoilers for the 1st half of season 7, so if you haven't fully caught up you have been warned.

 

Chapter titled after, inspired by "Eye of the Storm" by X Ambassadors.

3. Run by Marie1063 [Reviews - 9] Liked (2262 words)

First a warning that this chapter contains a fair bit of violence and blood, so you've been warned. Furthermore I would like to say that I LOVE Carol and her being a bad ass, so believe me when I say that I did not enjoy doing this (the story wants what the story wants). Innocent

I will also say that for this chapter after editing it, I am actually quite proud of it, considering how bad it could have gone in my head.

Most NL readers will know that the italicized passages are past memories, and therefore are not part of the present time of the story. Just thought I'd make sure...

The addition of Arat as a canon character (she's the Savior that killed Olivia fyi), but I don't think she needs to be added to the character list because I hope the show will kill her off soon Surprised.

Chapter title inspired by/named after "Run" by Awolination. Also while writing a lot of Imagine Dragons "Sucker for Pain" and Eminem were played. Write

4. Dream by Marie1063 [Reviews - 5] Liked (1941 words)

Some Daryl time, less yapping from Negan. Also more feelings than violence in this chapter.

Daryl gets to yell at Rick (yay) for some of the stupid decisions that we know he makes. 

Cookies are mentioned and more references (like the show) to nursery rhymes.

Chapter inspired by/titled after "Dream" by Imagine Dragons.

5. Deep End by Marie1063 [Reviews - 6] Liked (2935 words)

So this one didn't seem to want to end while I was writing it. I attempted to have both Carol's and Daryl's POV in this chapter (sorry if its a bit confusing)Thinking. But on the plus we finally get them back together in the same time frame Squee.

A big thank you to the girls from the "Suspense/Action writing" chat last night. You totally inspired me in writing long into the early morning for this...*drinks all the coffee*Heart

Chapter inspired by/titled after "Deep End" by Ruelle.

6. Everything by Marie1063 [Reviews - 7] Liked (2673 words)

This chapter is full of feels - the happy and not so happy ones. I may have also made Rick into his sometimes douchey self again (sorry not sorry).

Chapter inspired by/titled after "Everything" (the acoustic cover) by Boyce Avenue.

7. Tell me it's real by Marie1063 [Reviews - 6] Liked (2712 words)

More of the feels in this chapter, as well as a certain 'Dixon' language.

A special thank you to my musical sounding board (she knows who she is). Sorry to keep pulling you in to my crazy, maddening thought process while writing this but at least you get to enjoy the outcome Big Grin.

Chapter inspired by/named after "Tell me it's real" by Seafret.

8. Salvation by Marie1063 [Reviews - 7] Liked (2733 words)

Carol's awake!Smile

More time with Carol/Jesus and Carol/Maggie. Plus we can't forget the Caryl feels. This chapter is more of a calmer in between one.

Chapter inspired by/named after "Salvation" by Gabrielle Aplin.

9. Letters from the Sky by Marie1063 [Reviews - 6] Liked (2876 words)

This chapter was hard to write because all I wanted to do was write a chapter full of smut for them, but alas it didn't fit the story.....yet. I did manage to get some 'lovin' in though.

All I could hear while writing this was myself yelling at the show to let Carol and Daryl have nice things and to leave them alone Roll eyes.

I wanted to make sure to carry along the show's positive upturn of not making female characters damsels in distress always in the need of saving.

There also may be a slight "jab" at Beth, if you manage to find it.

Chapter inspired by/titled after "Letters from the Sky" by Civil Twilight.

10. Come as you are by Marie1063 [Reviews - 5] Liked (3971 words)

I didn't know how long this chapter was going to be until it ended, and at some point I didn't think it would.

Warning there is character death(s) in here, one I am upset about; the others not soo much. Also kind of a bit of gore/ sometimes too much detail. And I can't stop the Negan language *sorry*

Side note: DOOM is a first person shooter game where you are basically going around with all types of weapons shooting any and all mutant things.

Chapter inspired by/titled after "Come as you are" by Civil Twighlight (a cover of Nirvanna).

11. Breathe me by Marie1063 [Reviews - 11] Liked (3789 words)

You'll have to excuse me for this chapter, I was a giant ball of emotions while writing this, still am. I would have posted it earlier but didn't want to get in the way of the challenge fics.

I tried to verbalize what it's like to have a panic attack (stritcly from personal experience, it can be different for everyone), anyone who has ever dealt with anxiety or ptsd in any form will get it; about being dragged into a moment without notice. We can't put ourselves in this world and assume that any of them are/would be unaffected by what's happened. 

Rick and Dwight were annoying enough that they served to exemplify the lashing out at anything in your path.

I managed in my emotional sleepless haze to throw in a couple things people had asked about, sorry it's not as clear as it should be.

The chapter is titled after "Breathe me" by Sia but I would say also inspired by "Don't deserve you" by Plumb, which started playing on Itunes at just the right time.

12. We're still here by Marie1063 [Reviews - 6] Liked (2762 words)

First I need to acknowledge the_wd_caryl for making me an amazing Youtube video for this story. I am in absolute awe and regualrly go watch it when having a writing crisis; you are a serious talented video editor. You can watch it at the link here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbxtAZA_csA&list=LLgyW8L_yRcHIh9n_oSwUygw

Secondly a big thanks to Trogdor19 for putting up with my ramblings and offering encouraging reads or NR pics when needed Big Grin.

Sorry it took so long to finish this one, digging out of a s*&t hole of anxiety and pms (yay being a woman). But I promise we are moving to happier Caryl times, for how long I don't know.

Maybe even a visit to Smutville....? Got to use the idea of intimacy while injured before Carol fully heals. Also may have perverted an actual statement of concern by Daryl from the show at the end Love

This chapter was inspired by/titled after "We're still here" by Sleeping at last.

13. Into you by Marie1063 [Reviews - 7] Liked (2313 words)

Sorry it took so long to update. I was doing battle with fic Daryl about getting undressed. I know I've had this conversation with other writers here, but it's so true that Daryl (show version) seems to take the longest to get naked in a fic. I feel like I have been trying to rationalize with a child for 3 days.

Anyways, it's smut timeCheers. If I could have I would have made Daryl's tongue a canon character for this chapter. (It's in the show enough, it should be a thing)

The chapter was named after "Into you" (the 50 shades darker acoustiv version) by Ariana Grande, but was inspired by soo many lovely songs. Heck it was a party with Marvin Gaye, some Amber Run, and pretty much anything that worked with a heavy back beat Embarrassed.

14. Kill for you by Marie1063 [Reviews - 5] (4893 words)

I'm sorry this chapter took forever to put up, life was just bitch nuts for a while and getting sick towards the end of writing doesn't help. But yay for being back.

Because I take forever in making her wait, this chapter is for Carylfan247. Hopefully it meets your expectations.

I will say a couple things: 1 there is a flash forward at the beginning of the chapter, so don't worry things aren't supposed to make sense. (of course there are still flashbacks throughout the chapter). 2 There is a lot of Dwight in this chapter, sorry if you're not a fan (I'm not really either but he weasled in a 'feature episode') 3 It's a building chapter that is going to lead up to more fun stuff (explosions, gunfire, actual fire Trogdor)

This chapter is inspired by/named after "Kill for you" by Skylar Grey ft. Eminem.

15. Do you Realize by Marie1063 [Reviews - 5] Liked (4982 words)

Happy V-Day everyone! This was supposed to go up hours ago but....editing.

This chapter is a little different because it covers multi-POV for the same time frame. Deliberated whether to do it or not, but what the hell? It's the way my brain came up with it.

I would say we're going to cover the idea of how would you handle knowing that tomorrow could be the end and what would you do with the time you have left. Also we'll answer some questions while making new ones.

*Cue the circle of life song Tongue Out*

It's the calm before the storm people.... Negan is coming back Thwap

Chapter inspired by/titled after "Do you realize?" by The Flaming Lips (covered by Ursine Vulpine). I'd also add in "Certain Things" by James Arthur for certain Richonne and Caryl points.

16. Smells like teen spirit by Marie1063 [Reviews - 9] Liked (3826 words)

OK sorry for the time in between posts, work is the anti-christ to creativity. But I figured out how to fix it...you just don't sleep lol.

Some prelim stuff to start. If you haven't seen the wonderful banner wd_caryl made me (how could you not), go look again now, I'll wait. Also I made a one-shot that turned into a prequel to this, called "Pieces", and I've now become full of desire to explore that more. So if you like this hopefully you'll like the other one. And lastly, I hope everyone has seen, enjoyed, and swooned over 7x10.

So here we go guys, it's war! Was a little hard at first trying to write this after the episode 10 glory but I had to let it bleed through a little. Things are going to happen, things I knew but wasn't sure or prepared for and they are going to keep happening, so you all may end up hating me.

This chapter was inspired by/named after "Smells like teen spirit" by Think Up Anger ft Malia J. 

17. Live like Legends by Marie1063 [Reviews - 4] Liked (3349 words)

It's done! *throws hands in the air and walks away*

My God this has been an excruciating write of a chapter; life seems to know no limits in how it wants to screw with an ability to write. But I am back with you lovely people, and wow, over 7,100 read... and almost 100 reviews? Hug

So there are 2 fair warning about this chapter. It covers the Kingdom while Caryl is off being badasses at the Sanctuary, but there are references to out beloved characters. And second, this chapter does have a high body count. (I'm sorry.)

This chapter was named after/inspired by "Live like Legends" by Ruelle. To get the proper flow with the song, just imagine it starting over each chapter break.

18. Hurts like Hell by Marie1063 [Reviews - 13] Liked (3329 words)

This is another chapter I had in my head the second this story came to life through my muse. Been waiting for us to get here and the next little bit so, Eeeeeee!

For anyone who's worried, yes Carol and/or Daryl are in this chapter. I get it....

There are a lot of loops back to and references to earlier chapter happenings, so you may not understand if you're not caught up.

I have wanted forever a confrontation between mentally unstable Rick and an early show (Season 1-2) Daryl, and this chapter provided the perfect reason to do so.

Chapter is titled after/inspired by "Hurts like Hell" the Nightcore Mix. Also, as I said before this is an OG chapter so it goes perfectly with "Possibility" by Lykke Li.

19. Believer/Love the Way you hate me by Marie1063 [Reviews - 9] Liked (6719 words)

Sorry about the late upload, I rewrote this chapter and edited it 1,000 times because it wasn't sitting right. There are several people on here, you know who you are, that I apologize more too. I kept saying the chapter was coming but still took another week. (I still love getting e-mail requests Big Grin)

 

Warning just in case, there is no actual reference to sexual abuse in here, but I do realize that anything can be a trigger for anyone in a given situation, so better safe than sorry.

Not sure where the rest of this is going after a couple more chapters, maybe have a bit of an epilogue. But unless lightning strikes me, we may be winding down *sobbing in the corner*

This chapter was inspired by/titled after 2 songs this time. "Believer" by X Ambassadors and "Love the way you hate me" by Like a Storm. The second song was actually the only one for a while until my brain was bombarded by Believer. FYI guys, there's a freaking didgeridoo in Love the way you hate me..... A DIDGERIDOO Squee

20. Wrong side of heaven/Control by Marie1063 [Reviews - 9] Liked (7011 words)

So I'm just going to drop this here and stop apologizing for taking forever, let's just say it's implied with every chapter.

Warning for violence in case anyone is still reading this chapter and squeamish. Whar else are you going to do with Carol vs. Negan 2.0

For anyone who has read any of Trogdor19 work, you'll realize that parts of this chapter are inspired by a chapter of her story "Strip for the Camera". That's right people, we have some of a Caryl and McReedus cross-over!

I also need to wish a very happy belated birthday to Carylfan247, as this is her present. The fact that you are still here after a number of times I have sent apologetic emails is AMAZING.

This chapter was inspired by/titled after 2 songs this time, one for Carol ("Control" by Halsey) and one for Daryl ("Wrong side of Heaven" by 5 finger death punch). 

21. Meet me on the Battlefield by Marie1063 [Reviews - 5] Liked (3216 words)

I'm drawing a blank here at 4 a.m. so I'll jot down what I remember. Chapter is from Daryl's POV, so all flashbacks are used to help illustrate him trying to understand how Carol feels without words. On that note, there is very little dialogue in this chapter on purpose; sometimes there are things you just can't talk about.

The idea for little to no dialogue came from an episode of Buffy titled "Hush". ( I know there are people out there who know what I am talking about). Such a good episode!

This chapter is inspired by, titled after the song "Meet me on the Battlefield" by SVRCINA. Will also say I listened to "The Wisp Sings" by Winter Aid a lot.

22. Heal Me/Knockin' On Heaven's Door by Marie1063 [Reviews - 7] Liked (2680 words)

So, all I can say is sorry...not sorry. 

Hopefully,Buttercup , this counts as enough of a discussion for you, lol.

Rated for sexual situations Big Grin Fyi, the flashbacks are a single, continuing time-frame.

Chapter inspired by/named after "Heal Me' by Arctic Lake and "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" by Blackwall.

23. Sweeter Place by Marie1063 [Reviews - 5] Liked (4495 words)

Caryl happiness with Rick warning. Didn't intend for it to be this long but at least it's under 5k!

I wanted to thank GeektaireCharlotteAshmore, and Amwaaker for their help is getting this chapter out of my head

Chapter titled after/inspired by "Sweeter Place" by SVRCINA.

24. Free Me by Marie1063 [Reviews - 5] Liked (2018 words)

It's time to delve deeper into Daryl's emotions; Carol isn't the only one hurting people.Cry 

Chapter inspired by/titled after "Free Me" by Sia.

25. Hurricane by Marie1063 [Reviews - 6] Liked (4483 words)

GIANT thanks to CharlotteAshmore for helping out with this chapter and being an amazing cheerleader along with Whowhatsitwhich. You ladies kicked my butt into gear and I couldn't have done it without your inspirational "boobs". (WWW, again I'm sorry Embarrassed).

Chapter titled after and inspired by "Hurricane" by Fleurie.

26. A little wicked/Oh Lord by Marie1063 [Reviews - 7] Liked (5535 words)

Here we are again guys, I've missed you allHeart

Chapter note, there will be spoilers in this chapter for the prequel fic to this one "Pieces"So if you want to get caught up, run now! Lol.

The chapter was inspired by/titled after "A little wicked" by Valerie Broussard, as well as "Oh Lord" by NF (for the hunting scene)

27. Stand by Me by Marie1063 [Reviews - 7] Liked (5246 words)

Thanks so much to my girls for helping me out with so many things in this chapter; CharlotteAshmore, BettyBubble, and Geektaire. Everything was helpful, even when it created more work for me.Wink

Chapter inspired by/named after "Stand by Me" by Ki: Theory.